Wilhelm Miklas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Wilhelm Miklas
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| President of Austria | |
| In office 10 December 1928 – 13 March 1938 |
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| Chancellor | Ignaz Seipel Ernst Streeruwitz Johann Schober Karl Vaugoin Otto Ender Karl Buresch Engelbert Dollfuß Kurt Schuschnigg Arthur Seyss-Inquart |
| Preceded by | Michael Hainisch |
| Succeeded by | Karl Renner (1945) |
| President of the National Council | |
| In office 20 November 1923 – 6 December 1928 |
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| Preceded by | Richard Weiskirchner |
| Succeeded by | Alfred Gürtler |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 15 October 1872 Krems an der Donau, Austria-Hungary |
| Died | 20 March 1956 (aged 83) Vienna, Austria |
| Political party | Fatherland Front (1934–1938) Christian Social Party (1907–1934) |
| Spouse |
Leopoldine Heidinger
(m. 1900) |
| Children | 12 |
| Alma mater | University of Vienna |
Wilhelm Miklas (born October 15, 1872 – died March 20, 1956) was an important Austrian politician. He was the President of Austria from 1928 until 1938. His time as president ended when Austria was taken over by Nazi Germany in an event called the Anschluss.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Miklas was born in Krems an der Donau, a town in Lower Austria. His father worked for the post office. Wilhelm went to high school in Seitenstetten. Later, he studied history and geography at the University of Vienna.
From 1905 to 1922, Miklas worked as a headmaster. He led the Federal Secondary School in Horn. This was a small town in the Waldviertel region of Lower Austria.
Beginning of Political Career
In 1907, Miklas started his political journey. He was elected to the Imperial Council, which was the parliament at the time. He was a member of the Christian Social Party. He was re-elected in 1911.
Miklas continued to serve in parliament. He was part of the assembly for German-Austria. He also joined the Constitutional Assembly of the First Austrian Republic. He was one of the few who spoke out against German nationalism. He did not want Austria to become too close to the Weimar Republic (Germany at that time). He also played a key role in making the red-white-red Austrian flag official.
In 1919, Miklas became a state secretary. He worked in the Austrian government under Chancellor Karl Renner. From 1923 to 1928, he was the speaker of the National Council, which is like the main part of the parliament.
Presidency of Austria
On December 10, 1928, Wilhelm Miklas was elected president. The representatives of the Federal Assembly chose him. He served as president for ten years. His term ended when Austria was taken over in 1938.
Challenges During Presidency
In 1933, there was a big discussion in parliament. It was about a strike by railway workers. The speaker and his deputies resigned. This meant the parliament could no longer make decisions. Chancellor Engelbert Dollfuss used this situation. He said the parliament had "eliminated itself." His government then stopped any new meetings of parliament. Police and military groups were used to block access. This allowed Dollfuss to rule using "emergency decrees." This meant he could make laws without parliament's approval.
President Miklas did not openly stop these actions. In May 1933, the government created the Fatherland's Front. This was meant to be the only political party. Other parties, like the Communist Party and the Nazi Party in Austria, were banned. Groups linked to the Social Democrats were also outlawed. These actions led to the Austrian Civil War in February 1934. After this conflict, the Social Democratic Party was also banned. Austria then became an authoritarian state, often called Austrofascist.
Even though Miklas did not speak out publicly, his private notes showed he disagreed with these actions. He believed the constitution was being broken by Dollfuss and his successor, Kurt Schuschnigg.
July Putsch Attempt
In July 1934, there was an attempt by Nazi supporters to take over the government. This was called the July Putsch. During this time, some Nazi plotters tried to arrest President Miklas. They chased his car while he was traveling. However, the coup failed in Vienna. The plotters chasing Miklas were stopped and arrested by the Austrian police.
Miklas was not liked by Austrian Nazis. He refused to pardon those who had killed Chancellor Dollfuss during the 1934 coup attempt.
Pressure from Nazi Germany
As Nazi Germany grew stronger, Austria looked for allies. It became closer to Italy under Benito Mussolini and Hungary. In 1936, Miklas met with Hungary's leader, Miklós Horthy.
In February 1938, Chancellor Schuschnigg met with Adolf Hitler. Hitler made strong demands for Austria. Miklas offered to release jailed Nazi members. But he first refused to give control of the national police to the Nazi leader, Arthur Seyss-Inquart. However, Hitler ordered his army to prepare near the Austrian border. Miklas was forced to agree. He appointed Seyss-Inquart as Austria's Minister of the Interior.
On March 9, 1938, Schuschnigg announced a vote. This vote would let Austrians decide if they wanted to stay independent. Hitler's close associate, Hermann Göring, then demanded that Seyss-Inquart become chancellor. If not, German forces would invade Austria the next day. A crowd of Nazi supporters entered the chancellery. Schuschnigg announced he was resigning, saying he was "yielding to force."
Miklas still refused to appoint Seyss-Inquart as chancellor. But he could not find another non-Nazi candidate. Hitler got word from Italy that they would not interfere. He then ordered German troops to invade Austria the next morning. Miklas finally gave in at midnight. He announced that he had made Seyss-Inquart the new chancellor. Seyss-Inquart quickly called Nazi officials in Berlin. But it was too late. German troops crossed the border at dawn the next day. They met no resistance from the Austrian Armed Forces. Many people even welcomed them.
Because Miklas had initially refused, he was placed under house arrest. However, he was protected from harm by Otto Skorzeny, who would later become a high-ranking officer. On March 13, 1938, a law was passed that officially joined Austria with Germany. This ended the jobs of both the Austrian chancellor and the president. While Schuschnigg was put in prison, Miklas left politics. He retired and received his pension without any trouble.
After World War II
After World War II ended, Wilhelm Miklas was asked to run for president again. However, he chose not to. He supported Karl Renner for the position instead.
Wilhelm Miklas passed away on March 20, 1956, in Vienna.
See also
In Spanish: Wilhelm Miklas para niños
